CHAPTER 805: ODD

The news about what happened at the banquet had already spread across the entire empire by noon, and people were already talking about it. The news, of course, was fueled by the opposition faction, who even added exaggerated details to make the imperial family look bad while making Grand Duke Freindor appear good.

The populace, who believed that the imperial family could gain the support of Aldrian the Great, began to criticize them harshly, even those who had previously remained neutral. The reputation of Aldrian the Great as a hero was not small; everyone wanted the best for their hero, especially for those he loved.

Most elves on the Continent of Elves felt honoured that Aldrian the Great had chosen an elf to become his main wife and empress. They also felt proud that the first continent Empress Sylphia visited outside the Barisan Continent was the Continent of Elves. With her visit, their empire’s reputation would soar, showing the world that Aldrian the Great regarded them as special.

However, hearing that she had almost been killed at the banquet by someone from the imperial faction truly shocked and infuriated them. How could anyone dare to do such a thing? For something like this to happen during her first visit outside the continent, and inside the imperial palace no less, made many question the imperial family’s competence.

How could someone from the imperial faction attempt to assassinate Empress Sylphia? What had really happened? With the story of Grand Duke Freindor saving her spreading alongside the incident, the effect on the populace became even greater than before. Even now, the matter had begun to draw reactions from foreign powers.

Since many wanted to maintain a good image before Aldrian the Great, they also voiced their opinions, which naturally went against the Silvarin imperial family. Some were even prepared to abandon the Verdyn Empire if Aldrian the Great decided to act against them.

The pressure on the imperial family grew heavier within just a few hours, far worse than anything in the past. Many conversations today ended with the same conclusion: the imperial family was incompetent, and Grand Duke Freindor was the one worthy to replace them.

Inside the imperial palace, Empress Vilena was with Sylphia and Aldrian’s avatar in her private workroom. Despite her powerful cultivation, Empress Vilena looked tired as she read the report given to her by her informant. The effect of last night’s incident was truly immense, and the pressure she now faced was even greater than when she had only needed to deal with the opposition faction.

She looked at Sylphia and let out a sigh.

"All this pressure comes from a single assassination attempt, yet its effect is overwhelming. The number of people criticizing me keeps growing, and even some foreign powers that once maintained good relations with me are now showing that they will remain silent if Aldrian the Great decides to act against us."

"I must say, His Majesty Aldrian the Great’s influence is truly extraordinary at this moment. Many have turned their backs on me, and I can hardly find a way out of this situation."

"If the poison plot had succeeded, I cannot imagine how chaotic the empire would have become, or what my own fate would be. Perhaps it would be better to step down from the throne today, though that would mean giving that bastard exactly what he wants."

She then turned her gaze toward the avatar.

"Well, that would be the case under normal circumstances, of course. Fortunately, Your Majesty’s guardian here is helping me handle the problem. It is true that the pressure from this incident makes it difficult for me to concentrate on how to resolve the assassination attempt and the growing unrest. I know we would keep losing support by the hour without an appropriate way to escape it."

Sylphia smiled and took a sip of her hot tea. The tea had already been checked for poison. After last night’s event, they did not want to be caught off guard twice.

"Like I said, my guardian here can solve many problems. I’m glad that we can assist Your Majesty in handling this matter. The pressure might be heavy for now, but Your Majesty must endure at least for today." Sylphia then turned to look at the avatar.

"Is there any problem with your plan at this moment?" she asked.

"No, Your Majesty. Everything is still going according to plan. The Dark Saber group has already completed their part, and now we just have to wait for the next event to unfold. Tonight, the empire will be in another uproar," the avatar replied, earning a nod from Sylphia.

Empress Vilena looked at the avatar and felt thankful for his help. Even though he was only at the pseudo-immortal establishment stage, his resourcefulness made him a great help to her.

While Empress Vilena endured the pressure from the many opinions against her, elsewhere, Grand Duke Freindor sat inside his study in his manor. After returning to his territory last night, he had done nothing specific except wait for morning to come.

He was also waiting for information from his spies within the imperial family, news that would confirm Empress Sylphia’s death. He had already prepared his next move for the moment that confirmation arrived.

However, strangely, the message he received was not what he had expected. Instead, he was told that Empress Sylphia appeared perfectly fine, as if nothing had happened to her. This made him question the reliability of his spy inside the palace. Had the spy failed his mission, or was there something else going on?

Although news of the assassination attempt had already spread across the empire, the effect was still not what he wanted or expected. If Empress Sylphia had truly died, he was certain the impact would have been far greater. He was confident that if his spy had done the job properly, there was no way Sylphia could have survived.

All this time, the spies inside the imperial palace had been reliable. Thanks to them, the opposition faction always knew what was happening within the palace and even managed to slip devils inside. That was how they had once created an incident in which devils killed several people within the palace.

The spies had worked for the opposition faction for a long time and had always done their jobs well. That was why it truly confused him that Empress Sylphia was still alive. They should have already placed the poison in her drink, and he had personally seen her drink her wine at the banquet without the slightest hint of suspicion.

Since he did not know what was really happening inside the imperial palace or Sylphia’s true condition, there was no way he could spread news of her death. Doing so would be suicide, because spreading such a rumor would be the same as painting a target on his back.

If he spread the rumor while Empress Sylphia was still alive, she would know that someone had deliberately prepared the rumor beforehand. And if she decided to investigate seriously, with the support of Aldrian the Great, he would be discovered in no time.

’Did the spies betray us and give false information?’ the grand duke thought.

Betrayal was something normal to him, so it was also a possibility. But if that were the case, it would cause serious trouble. It would mean that the imperial family already knew about his schemes and could make a move against him.

However, the problem was that the imperial family seemed quite passive at the moment and had not done anything to him. That contradicted what they were supposed to do if they had truly discovered his plan.

’Is the imperial family planning something? Is that why they haven’t made a move yet?’ As he thought about it seriously, he suddenly heard a knock on the door.

"Come in," he said before the door opened, revealing his butler entering the room in a hurry. Seeing his usually composed butler so rushed made him wonder what had happened. The butler leaned in and whispered something in his ear for a few seconds, causing Freindor’s expression to tighten.

"What? Are you sure about that?" he asked, frowning as he looked at his butler.

"I’m not mistaken, my lord. I’ve already verified it myself, and it’s true. Right now, many people are coming to those places to confirm it on their own. I’ve sent some of our men to control the situation, but I don’t think it will be enough. Word has already spread, and more people keep gathering there as we speak," the butler replied.

Without another word, Grand Duke Freindor stood and walked out of the manor. He took to the sky with his butler, heading toward the outskirts of the city where the Freindor family’s manor was located. As they flew, he noticed several others flying in the same direction, which made him grit his teeth.

After a few moments, they arrived at a forested area near the city, where a large crowd had already gathered. Everyone was surrounding a quite big, hole like underground cave. Many people seems were trying to enter a cave, but the Freindor family’s guards were blocking the entrance. Even so, they seemed overwhelmed, and the crowd pressing forward looked furious.

Seeing this, Grand Duke Freindor clenched his jaw and approached them.